Clutch testing apparatus



J. Q. HOLMES CLUTCH TESTING APPARATUS VFiled May 1e, 1930 Feb. 19, 1935.

Feb. 19, 1935. 1 Q HOLMES CLUTCH TESTING APPARATUS Filed May 16, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 w n uw# w w. 8 J 0 2 /l m 0 2 4W M 7 W 00o 0/ W nn@ k 3 3 m I .il l 23 n 4 a s I 7 7 w MQ, f M x s W 2 f 3 S11/vento@ Q nas Feb 19, 1935. ,1 Q. HOLMES CLUTCH TESTING APTARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 16, 1950 Febfl9,`v 1935. J. vQ. HoLMEs l CLUTCH TESTING APPARATUS Filed May 16, v1930 5 Sheets-#Sheet 5 l mit torque whenaturning forceis appliedto the Patented Feb. 19, 1935 1,951,672 CLUTCH TESTING: APPARATUS John Q. Holmes,V Anderson,V Ind., assigner, `by n mesne assignments, to General Moto'rsCorporation,V Detroit, Mich.,

Ware l a corporation 0f l Dela- Application May 16', 1930, Serial No; 452,962V L iclams. (Cleve-51) This ,invention relates to one way or automatic overrunning clutches and one of theeobjects is to provide. apparatus for testing the ability ofan overrunningjclutchto take hold; that is, to transf clutch driving member inaidirection such as is intended to cause it to turnthedrivenmember. In the disclosedlembodiment.of v,the present `in-` vention this lobject isiaccompli'shed by providing a i clutchholder having a non-rotatablepart engageablewith .the driven member of the clutch and having a rotatable part' engaging the driving member. To :the rotatable lpart there is at- 'cached' an `operating lever. to which a predetermined forcev isv appliedj by the dropping of a weightf a' certain'y distanceupon ,a stop vmember ccnnectedwith thelever.y i'

Further objects andadvantages of the present invention will be apparent from'the following'de-` scripticn; reference being` had"` to l,the accom# panyng drawings wherein ,a preferredjembodiment of one formofthe presentv invention is clearly shown. Y

Inthe drawings:A w Fig. 1 isa side elevation, of apparatus ccnstructedaccordingto'the present Iinvention. y

taken onthe-line 2-,2 of Fig. 1; l l.

Fig; 3"is a fragmentarysectional ViewV showing certain elements `of` the apparatus in aV position different from that shown vin-Fig. 2;

Fig-.i4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig'. visja plan view of the apparatus.

Fig. Vfisasectionalview on linef of Fig. 5 and is drawn to a larger scale' than Fig. 5. Fig. 6 is also a-sectional'view on the line 6,-6 cf vFigf9. 'e Figs. 7, 8l'andi9 are -sectionalvie'ws taken respectively on lines 7 7, 8-8 and lll-.9 Yof Fig. 6.

` Fig. 2"is an end lelevation partly in. section 'Iheapparatus` comprises a table ZOsIipVpOrtedV bylegs 2,1.M Upon the table thereis located a plate 22'-to' which frames 23 and 24 are-secured by screws25- andy 2.6' and which support respectively xed and movable parts ofthe-testing apparatus.VY` Y Ihe frame 23 lsupports a sleeve'30 which is lcngitudinallyslidable through a' sleeve 3l` and'is iXed against rotation relative-toslceve 31 :by keys 32. Thesleeve 31 is rotatable in bearings 33-'attached byscrews 34 to the frame 23. f Between the innerjends of the bearing'3'3 the `sleeve 31 isA provided with` acollar 35 V having notches 36 each adapted to be engaged by a plunger 37 urged by a Vspring 38 toward thecollar 35;A `A handle 39 attached toeach plunger 3'] may be manipulated to withdraw theplunger from a notchso that the ysleeve 31 may be turned 90.`- degrees or a multiple thereofand then locked. by the plunger, inposition.' Ascrew 40Vhaving an end portion 41 which enters an elongated groove 42Min the sleeve r36'limits axial'movement ofthe sleeve 30.

The disclosed embodiment of the present invention is :particularly adapted for testing lover-A running .clutches for starter 'drives "fori connect- Ving'an electric motor with an internal. combus-` tionengine tobe started. The clutch comprisesa clutch cam or driving member A, see Figs.` 6 and '1, having han internally splined'rhub B. The cam A is notched at`Cft` Av receive rollers D urged by spring pressed plungers E;along the camming lsurface F and into wedging engagement between this surface F andthe internal cylindrical surface of a clutch shell G to whicha driving pinion H is attached. To' the sleeyejthere is welded at 43a'jsleeve'44 provided internally withnotches 45 each receiving a tooth 46 of the` pinion The splined hub'Bof the` drivingjmember A receives an externally spline'd'vportion ,50 of arod 51 having'a conicalportion 52'which is: wedged intoa conical hole 53 ina 4vshaft 54 'journalled in 1 bearings providedV by theframe 2 4) '.Ihveshaft 54-is preventedfrom moving toward the right by a plate 56 secured toy the s'l'1`aft154jby` screws j57.. By turning a nut 58 threaded en the end'59 of the rod 51 againstthe Vouter surface of theplate 56, the conicalportion 529i therodlwillbe tightly wedged in the conical hole/53. The rod 54 ispree v zio.

vented from moving toward the left by a disc 60 attachedby screws lltothe `rod 54 and driv.-v ingly connected therewith also by a dowel pin .62.* The disc 60 V provides a gear segment 63 which meshes with a segment 64 of a :disc (iafsimilar to disc 60 but integralv with shaft54a journalled in bearing 551i` and attached by screws 57a to" adisc 56a, VThus-shaft 54ais providedinternally'with a conical s1 1rface753aV which receivesfalso the conical'surface 52 of the rod 51.V The jshaft 54a is'axially aligned with a sleeveB-la identicalfin construction" Ywith vsleeve 3 1 -below it e and journalled in bearings 33a` attachedv to the bracket 23. Thefsleeye Blais provided with longitudinal grooves 32a each adapted to: receive a key v3.2'whic'lw1 is attached to Athe sleeve 30. lt is thereforejapparent that either shaft- 54or 54a Awi ll receive and support the rod Elli-"and either sleeve 31er 31a will receivethe sleeve 3 0. Thusrthe apparatuscan be arranged for' testing clutcheswhich overrunin eitherdirection. Forexample, if the clutch cam AA will drive the `'shell G when the 'former rotates clockwise as viewed in Fig. 7, then the clutch isV` attached asV shown in 6 tothe sleeve and rod 51. If the clutch cam A drives the shell G in a direction opposite to that shown in Fig. 7,V then the clutch is supported by the parts 31a and 54a. To accomplish this the rod 51 is removed from the shaft 54 and is mounted upon the shaft 54a and the sleeve30 is removed from the sleeve 31 and mounted upon the sleeve 31a. However, if parts 51 and 30 are duplicated then an extra set of these parts can be attached to shaft 54a and sleeve 31a. Y

The disc 60 is integral with an arm 70 connected by a pin '71 with a clevis 72 attached to the upper end of a tube 73 which .surrounds a rod 74. The rod '74 is threadedfat its lower end to receive nuts '75 and '76 between` which are clamped a bar 77 and the yoke 78 of a clevis 79 which is attached by a pin 80 to a lever 81 pivoted at 82 upon a bracket 83 attached by bolts 85 and 86 to a plate 84 secured to table legs 2l in any suitable Way. The lever 81 is connected by a pin 88 with a link 89 pivotally connected by a pin 90 with a cross bar 9.1 attached at its ends by angle clips 92 to a pair. of levers 93 which are pivoted upon .pins 94 attached to brackets 95 secured by'screws 96 to thetable legs 21.

The levers 93 are braced by a second angle bar 97 and by a tube 98 spacing the free ends. of thelevers 93.- Through the tube 98 there passesal bolt 99 having a threaded end receiv- Veo ing the nut 100. The rod 98 serves as a pedal by which the apparatus may be operated. A spring 101 attached at its upper end to an .adjusting screw 102 `passing through the table 2G and through a washer 103 and receiving a nut 104, and attached at its lower end-to the lever 81 serves to maintain the latter normally in the position shown in Figs..1 and'Z.

When the lever 81 is `in normal position a weight supported asshown in Fig. 2 upon the upper endsof vrods 111 attached to the bar '77,. is located in a position so as to be latched to a bracket 112 attached to the underside of the table'20. The bracket 112 is provided with an aperture 113 through Whichthe tube '73 and rod 74 extend. *The bracket 112 provides two pairs of ears 114 each supporting a pin 115 upon which a latch 116 is pivoted. The lower end of each latch provides a hook 117 adapted to engage the under side of a flange 118 of a plug 119 threaded into the weight 110. The hooks 117 of the latches 116 are yieldingly urged toward eachother by a spring 120. The latches are moved away from the plug 119 in order to cause the weight 110 to fall by downward movement of the rod 74-Which is effected by downward movementof the pedal 98 and consequent downward movement of the lever 81. When the rod 74 has been moved by the pedal into the position shown in Fig. 3 .a latch .trip bar 121, pinned at 122'to therod 74 and extending in opposite directions .from the pin 122 through slots 123 in the tube '73,'will engagethe latches 116 and move them from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3. The plug 119 having been released from the latches, the weight 110 will descend upon a stop plate threadedly attached near the lower end of the tube 73 and locked in position by nuts 131. The impact of the falling weight 1 10'upon the plate 130 will be transmitted by the tube 73 to the lever 70 in order to operate thereon as a force tending to turn the lever 70` in a clockwise direction as viewedfin' Fig. v1 thereby tending to turn the -clutch driving member Afin the same direction vas viewed in Fig. 7. When the clutch is properly made there will be substantially no slipping between the driving and driven members( of the clutch hence there will be substantially no movement of the lever 70. Theamount of movement may be read by observing a pointer attached to the disc 60a and pointing to scale divisions marked upon a surface 141 integral with the frame 24 as shown particularly in Fig.

5.. If the pointer moves more than av predeter- -v v mined distance from normaL'the clutch may be rejected.

whenthe pedal 98 is released, the spring 101 returns the lever 81 to normalv position thereby restoringthe weight 110 to uppermost position L possiblewithout a considerable change LinV con? struction or duplication of parts exceptV for' the fact that the apparatus providesafsecond pair" of fixed and movable supports 31a and 54a', tl1e latter beinggear'ed to the lower support 54. When itis desired to test a clutch which drives linlaf y counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fi8.....7.'.

the clutch driven member is. xed tothe support 31a by a suitame S1eeve so and the VclutchAL Vfixed to the shaft'54a. by a Y i driving member is suitable rod 51.

The Clutch may be tested :our times. with theY clutchy shell in'four diierent Vpositions relative to thefclutch driving' cam. The plunger. 39

Withdrawn from the notch. 36 in the sleevecol lar 35 and the sleeve 31'is turned 90 c legreesz ijnto anew position and the phmger 39 is .rev-,f v

leased to lock the shell in its new position. manipulation is followed by al downward movement of the pedal 98 to release the testing'weight. YThis process is rrepeated four timesreachftime locating and Yiixing the collar 35in a different position. l

While the form o f embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes apreferred form', it is tobe understoodthat other .f

forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims .which.ioll 0w .`Y y f What is claimed is` as follows:lr

clutches comprising, in combination, a'stationary member engageable withgthe clutch driven-inember, a rotatable member engageable `with the clutch driving-member, a lever attached to-the rotatablemember, a weight, and means opera# tive to cause the weight to descend by gravity-a.

predetermined distance into4 operative connection.

with the lever.

2. Apparatus for testing one-way over-running clutches comprising, in combination, a stationary member engageable with the clutch driven-member, a rotatable member engageable with/the clutch driving-membena Alever attached tothe rotatable member, a vsubstantially'verticall rod connected with the lever, va weight vertically slid- 1. Apparatus for testing one-Way-,ov'er-running f able along `therod, and a s topconnected with the rod and adapted to be engaged by the weight as saidweight` slides on said rod.

Y 3. Apparatus for testing one-wayover-runningv clutches comprising, in combination, a stationary d member engageable with the clutch driven-member, a rotatable member `engageable with the clutch driving-member, av lever attached tothe rotatable member, a substantially verticalrod connected with the lever, a Weight vertically slidable along the rod, a latch for normally holding the weight in elevated position, a stop connected with the rod and located a predetermined distance below the weight and upon which the weight descends when the latch is retracted, and means.

clutches comprising, in combination, a stationaryl member engageable with the clutch driven-member, a rotatable member engageable with the clutch driving-member, a vertically movable Weight and a stop member operatively connected with the rotatable member and adapted to be engaged by the weight on downward movement thereof.

6. Apparatus for testing one-way over-running clutchescomprising, in combination, a stationary member engageable with the clutch driven-member, a rotatable member engageable with the clutch driving-member, a weight, a stop member operatively connected with the rotatable member and upon which the weight descends, a latch for holding the Weight a predetermined distance above the stop member, and means for releasing the latch.'

7. Apparatus according to claim 4 further characterized as having means for returning the weightto uppermost position in which it is re- 15 tained by the latch.

Y JOHN Q. HOLMES. 

